critical thinking paper

In the article Assistive Technology and Inclusion the quote “supplementary aids and services” made me think about all the aids that schools have for students with disabilities. If not all the aids come to school every day willing to help everything will go downhill fast. It may sometimes be hard to find good aids, but it takes some time to find them. I was a teacher’s aid during high school and I had a disabled student and the teacher tried her best to come up with ways for this student to do what everyone else is doing, but change it so the students was capable of doing the project. I thought she did a wonderful job trying to let this disabled student do what everyone else was doing.
This quote “The standard remote control switch for the toy featured one button to move Bart forward, a second to move him backward. The remote control was rewired so that Joey could hit either a large plate switch for forward motion or a large pillow switch to reverse the movement.” (Sax, Pumpian, & Fisher, 1995) This remote shows how special need children can use the same thing that other students are using even if they have a eye problem or a strength problem. There are always ways around trying to figure out things for disabled children to do like other children. I think this remote that Joey used was a really good thing that the teacher did. This also showed his classmates that he was capable of doing things like them, but it was just a little different. Using the remote showed his classmates how they could help him use it and interact with him while using the remote. I think this was the best thing that could happen for Joey because now he can fill like he can communicate better with his classmates and they will be willing to help him out when he needs it.
In this article An Assistive Technology Toolkit: Type II Applications for Students
With Mild Disabilities refers to devices as being low-tech devices such as
pencil grips and high-tech devices that is using computers (Puckett p. 109-110). Low tech devices are just the basic things that people take advantage of knowing how to do. Most people just know how to using a pencil grip while there are others that need taught how to use it. Everyone is different in their own way so no one should make fun of anyone that cannot do some things that we consider easy. Type 2 programs that people take advantage of knowing how to do is just being able to read what is on a computer screen or even a book. There are a lot of children and adults that do not know how to read. Do people make fun of them? Maybe, but should they make fun of them NO. No one deserves to get made fun of, but I know it happens everywhere.

I agree that students with mild disabilities should be taught how to use an alternative such as computers for reading instead of just using a book. Using a regular pen instead of an erasable pen. These little things are ways that we as people take advantage of knowing how and what to do. How should aids incorporate assistive technology to help out their disabled students? What should teachers do to come up with things for students to do with technology? Working with children is a way to make a difference in students’ lives so teachers’ need different ways on how to do that. Does there need to be more ways for teachers’ to access different technologies to help their students’ out?

Technology helps teachers and students to connect in different ways then just always writing on paper and just reading books out of the library. I think using the computer helps out with researching and even playing educational games online. There are a lot of different things that are educational for students to do while online. There are some people that do not have access to computer outside of school, but they have the ability to use it during school and after school.

Introduction

My name is Kristen Foster. I am majoring in elementary education with a minor in reading. I live west of Plainfield in Monrovia. I have a 2 month old son named Keegan. I thought it was pretty easy to set-up blog with the directions Professor Magee typed out for us.